Jon Huntsman on Abortion

Republican UT Governor

Supports a right to life amendment

In an interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt, the host asked, "Governor, let's close with four quick issue sets to get you located on the political map," said
Hewitt in yesterday's interview. "Do you support a right to life amendment?"

"I do support a right to life amendment," replied Huntsman.

Source: ABC News report on Hugh Hewitt interview
, Jun 17, 2011

No truce on abortion; don't trade life for economic life

Huntsman told the audience that there should be no truce on abortion when it comes to balancing social and economic issues. "I do not believe the Republican party should focus only on our economic life--to the neglect of our human life,"he said. "That is
a trade we should not make. If Republicans ignore life, the deficit we will face is one that is much more destructive. It will be a deficit of the heart and of the soul."

Saying he "supported and signed every pro-life bill" he received, he talked
about how he signed a trio of pro-life bills in February 2009 that the Utah legislature approved. Hunstman told the crowd, "I signed the bill that made second-trimester abortions illegal, and increased the penalty for doing so. I signed the bill to allow
women to know the pain an abortion causes an unborn child. I signed the bill requiring parental permission for abortion. I signed the bill that would trigger a ban on abortions in Utah if Roe v. Wade was overturned."

Source: Steven Ertelt in LifeNews.com
, Jun 3, 2011

Make second-trimester abortions illegal

Gov. Huntsman signed three pro-life bills to help limit abortions in the state. They provide new protections for unborn children, require abortion practitioners to provide women with certain information, and establish a fund for defense of a future bill
to ban abortions. Huntsman signed bills HB 90, HB 222, and HB 114 into law:

The first measure, HB 90, makes second-trimester abortions illegal and ups the penalty for doing an illegal later-term abortion to a second degree felony from a
third degree felony.

HB 222 is a bill to allow women to know about the pain an abortion will cause to their unborn child. The bill requires abortion practitioners to tell women about the pain their baby will feel during an abortion.

The final bill, HB 114, would create a legal defense fund that private citizens could donate to in order to defend an abortion ban they expect to receive approval of by 2014.